Stress,
Anxiety and Trauma

If you’ve
experienced an extremely stressful or disturbing event that’s left
you feeling helpless and emotionally out of control, you may have
been traumatised.

Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting
emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also
leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other
people.

When bad things happen, it can take a while to get over the pain
and feel safe again. But with help, strategies and support, you can
speed your recovery. Whether the trauma happened years ago or
yesterday, you can make healing changes and move on with your
life.

What is emotional and
psychological trauma?

Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily
stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you
feel helpless in a dangerous world.

Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, but
any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can
be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical
harm.

It’s not the objective facts that determine whether an event is
traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event.
The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are
to be traumatised.

One-time
events,

such as an accident, injury, natural disaster, or violent
attack

Ongoing, relentless
stress,

such as living in a crime-ridden neighborhood or battling a
life-threatening illness

Commonly overlooked
causes,

such as surgery (especially in the first 3 years of life), the
sudden death of someone close, the breakup of a significant
relationship, or a humiliating or deeply disappointing
experience

An
event can lead to trauma if:

•It happened unexpectedly.

•You were unprepared for it.

•You felt powerless to prevent it.

•It happened repeatedly.

•Someone was intentionally cruel.

•It happened in childhood

Risk factors

While traumatic events can happen to anyone, there are risk factors
that make some of us more likely to experience psychological trauma
following a disturbing event.

You’re more likely to be traumatised if you’re already under a
heavy stress load, have recently suffered a series of losses, or
have been traumatised before—especially if the earlier trauma
occurred in childhood.

Symptoms

We all react in different ways to trauma, experiencing a wide range
of physical and emotional reactions. There is no “right” or “wrong”
way to think, feel, or respond, so don’t judge your own reactions
or those of other people.

Your
responses are NORMAL reactions to ABNORMAL
events.

Emotional
& psychological symptoms:

•Shock, denial, or disbelief

•Confusion, difficulty concentrating

•Anger, irritability, mood swings

•Anxiety and fear

•Guilt, shame, self-blame

•Withdrawing from others

•Feeling sad or hopeless

•Feeling disconnected or numb

Physical symptoms:

•Insomnia or nightmares

•Fatigue

•Being startled easily

•Difficulty concentrating

•Racing heartbeat

•Edginess and agitation

•Aches and pains

•Muscle tension

Trauma symptoms typically last from a few days to a few months,
gradually fading as you process the unsettling event. But even when
you’re feeling better, you may be troubled from time to time by
painful memories or emotions—especially in response to triggers
such as an anniversary of the event or something that reminds you
of the trauma.